Enslaved Africans living in Deerfield
Deerfield, Massachusetts, was among the many New England towns and cities where enslaved Native Americans, Africans, and African Americans lived and labored. By the mid-eighteenth century, over a third of White households along Deerfield’s mile-long main street included at least one enslaved person; many other residents hired enslaved labor from their neighbors. Little is known about these enslaved men, women, and children in Deerfield and the surrounding area between 1695 and the 1780s. Who were they? What were their lives like? Were any of them emancipated? How can we find out more? How can we remember them? Read this essay for additional information on slavery in Deerfield: Enslaved Africans Living in Deerfield.
Documenting Enslaved Africans
Researching the lives of New England’s enslaved population is challenging. Existing evidence helps establish the presence of enslaved Indigenous and African American people but only partially documents their experiences and rarely includes their perspectives. Considered property, enslaved people appear in sources created almost entirely by and for White men, such as bills of sale, wills, probate inventories, account books, and ads posting rewards for the capture of those who attempted to escape their enslavers. Read this essay to learn more about slavery and the slave trade: Slavery and the Slave Trade in Colonial New England.
Online Map: Where Did Enslaved People Live In Deerfield?
This online map identifies sites where enslaved and free African Americans lived and worked along the main street in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Read this essay for additional information on slavery in Deerfield.
Printable Map: Guide to African American Historic Sites
Download and print a walking tour map of African American Historic Sites in Deerfield. This PDF has two parts:
- a map with information about all 23 sites (2.8 MB file) and
- a set of several short essays (2.9 MB file) that tell more about slavery in Deerfield.
NOTE: If you plan to visit Deerfield, please note that many buildings or sites with African American histories have more recent buildings on the site. Original buildings are indicated on the map with house outlines at the sites. Additional information on enslaved and freed Africans in Deerfield can be found by visiting the Memorial Libraries, Memorial Hall Museum, or Historic Deerfield, Inc.